Additive manufacturing, or “3D Printing,” is a manufacturing process in which an additive manufacturing system (e.g., a 3D printer) autonomously fabricates an object based on a three-dimensional model, or other digital representation, of a three-dimensional object. Additive manufacturing systems fabricate, or print, the object by depositing, or otherwise forming, a constituent material in the shape of the object until it is formed. In one common example, successive layers of material, that represent cross-sections of the object, are deposited and the deposited layers of material are fused, or otherwise solidified, to build up the final object. The final three-dimensional object is fully dense and can include complex shapes.
A typical additive manufacturing process includes depositing a base material onto a growth surface (e.g., initially onto a substrate and later onto a previously deposited layer of base material) and directing an energy source onto the growth surface to form a melt pool on the growth surface. The base material is deposited into and incorporated by the melt pool to provide additional material to the object layer-by-layer.
One type of additive manufacturing process forms a large melt pool deposition. Such a process may quickly create an object having a near net shape; however, this process requires post process machining to achieve the final three-dimensional shape of the object, effectively increasing the time and cost to produce the object. Another type of additive manufacturing process forms a small melt pool deposition. Such a process may allow for precise deposition to achieve the final three-dimensional shape of the object (e.g., only requiring finishing machining); however, the process is slow and requires multiple passes to form the final object, effectively increasing the time and cost to produce the object.
Accordingly, those skilled in the art continue with research and development efforts in the field of additive manufacturing of three-dimensional objects.